WaterCan Organizes Workshop on "Best Practices" in Hygiene Promotion for African Partner Organizations

In line with its strategy for providing relevant training opportunities for partner organizations, WaterCan organized a three-day workshop in Kampala, Uganda from October 1 to 3, 2003, on hygiene promotion for field personnel and senior program managers working in Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. The goal of the workshop was to assist WaterCan's partner organizations to better integrate "best practices" in hygiene promotion into their water and sanitation projects. All too often, staff attention and project resources remain focused on the development of water supply systems and sanitation faculties, and hygiene promotion is often neglected or indeed, even absent. As a result, the potential health benefits of introduced facilities are simply not being realised by local communities.

NETWAS International, a training organization based in Nairobi, Kenya, worked with George Yap, WaterCan's Program Director, to develop the detailed workshop program. Workshop participants were introduced to practical tools and techniques for designing, implementing and monitoring hygiene education activities. During the workshop, participants were able to develop draft action plans for integrating hygiene promotion activities into the water and sanitation programming of their respective organizations.

Following the workshop, WaterCan organized a field visit to the water and sanitation projects of two WaterCan-funded organizations, VAD in Wakiso District, and USEP in Nyenga District. Participants visited local homes where they saw hand-washing and bathing facilities, latrines, dish-racks, and attended the official openings of new wells and protected springs. Community members presented their perspectives on hygiene issues in the form of songs and speeches. The field trip experience was enriched by the participation of representatives from the Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET) who provided a comprehensive overview of the water and sanitation sector in Uganda.

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